If Such Things Ever Existed
by Just an Echo14
Summary: A Grant/Rizzoli fanfiction.  What would have happened if Rizzoli had let Lt. Grant in only to push him away the day he left to Washington.  Grant pursues Rizzoli and tries to show her that he's not going anywhere
1. Chapter 1

If Such Things Ever Existed: A Rizzoli & Isles Fanfic

** I just loved the whole Jane/Grant relationship and I hate the fact that Donnie Wahlberg had to leave to go do Blue Bloods (which is not as good of a show in my opinion) so this is kind of an AU fic in what would've happened had the two done more than just almost kissed that night on the stoop. I'll try to keep Jane in character as much as possible and same with Lt. Grant though that will be a bit trickier. Like I said, this starts right after she left him on the steps. I am going to episode tag most of the chapters so that it stays consistent with the show which means once I get past a certain point it will be slow-going. I have only seen the first eight episodes of the show (a shame, I know) but I will try to get through the rest of the series that has aired so that I can deliver chapters promptly. Additionally feel free to review and criticize but be constructive please because my poor, shipper heart can't take pointless flaming. I'm giving it an "M" rating because I'm sure that's what I'll end up writing as the words flow from my fingers to my keyboard.

** Note: I do not own Rizzoli, Isles, Grant or any of the actors that play them as well as any other characters that may show up in this fic. Of course there will be characters that I create but that will be more of a consequence of plot twists.

Jane closed the door behind her and tried to catch her breath. She touched two fingers to her temple where, just moments ago, Joe had kissed her in one last goodbye. Of all of the people Jane thought that she would fall for Joe Grant had not made it on the list. He wasn't even a contender. And now that she had admitted her feelings he was leaving and making it impossible for it to go anywhere.

Jane was unsure if she would have even wanted it to go anywhere. The idea of being with Joey Grant once made her stomach turn but now, she was more afraid than anything. To have that much history with someone only made the feelings more intense, she decided. She took one last look at the door before stepping onto the staircase. But before she could go any further she heard the doorknob click as it turned and she whipped around.

Joey Grant had never been one to wait but with someone like Jane Rizzoli he had taken his time. For years he had gone from liking the young Jane to trying to deny his feelings for teenage Jane and now he was finally confronting them twenty years after the seeds had been sown. Their relationship was long and complicated and, for as long as he could remember, he liked her. That hadn't stopped him from self-sabotage at every possible turn but he was a kid and that's how he thought you showed affection. So when Jane left him with a kiss on the cheek he almost walked away. But he was done walking away from her and letting his own fears drive him away. So when he opened the door to her apartment building he didn't say anything. He closed the space between them in a matter of moments before his lips were crushed against hers. He tangled one hand in her hair and used the other to steady himself on the railing.

Jane was taken aback by the force of the kiss. It was as if ten years of passion was pushed into one fiery kiss. She nearly fell into him as she lost her balance on the step and used his firm shoulders to regain her balance. Placing one hand on his arm she used the other to pull him closer by his jacket which was thoroughly soaked with rain. She felt his fingers tangled in her hair and when he finally pulled his lips away she felt his breath against her skin.

"I've been wanting to do that for…a long time," Joe said breathily.

"You're still leaving," Jane said though she had lost the resolve that she had when she said it earlier.

"I know," Joe said and he pressed his forehead against hers.

"Maybe if you weren't such a brass kisser," She teased.

"Or if you weren't so stubborn," He shot back.

Jane glared, "Well maybe if you weren't such a jerk all the time."

Joe rolled his eyes, "I apologized for calling you names."

"Well what about cheating on my test? Or putting a duck in my locker? Or all of the other countless things you did to me."

Joe laughed, "You really didn't think the duck was funny?"

Jane's eyes narrowed, "No, I didn't."

"Well then I'm sorry. And, like I tried to tell you, I wasn't cheating. My eyes were definitely not on your catechism test." Joe cocked one eyebrow and grinned sheepishly.

"I was eight! And you're a perv," Jane said and pushed him away. But instead of letting her Joey grabbed her arms and pulled her in for another, softer kiss.

Jane had trouble finding her voice again but, when she did, she had a different form of resolve. She started up the stairs a little ways before turning around and looking at Joey.

"Well, you comin', Joey?"

Joe didn't need a second invitation and he eagerly bounded up the stairs after her and watched as she walked down the hall.

When Jane got to her apartment she knew that now would be the only time she had to turn back. After she opened her door and let Joe in she was doing more than just letting him into her apartment. In a way she was letting him into her life. Jane shivered both from cold and that thought before she turned the key in the lock and opened the door.

For the first time in a long time Joe Grant was terrified. He had tackled drug dealers and not broken a sweat, he had had guns pointed in his face and not even flinched but nothing was as frightening as being with Jane Rizzoli. The woman he had lusted after and tortured for years was standing in her apartment with her wet clothes clinging to her in all the right places. Joe had imagined similar things to this ever since they were in the same swimming class freshman year of high school. And now, here they were both drenched to the bone and Joe couldn't help but just stand there and wait to be invited in.

"Oh, for God sakes, Joe, you can come in! God you looked like a drowned rat."

"Better than you," Joe said.

Jane rolled her eyes and smacked his arm. "Why did I invite you into my home?"

"Because, Janie, you have excellent taste."

Jane scoffed, "If you're the definition of excellent taste than the pickings must be slim."

"Aah just admit it, Rizzoli. You like me. If you say it now then I won't have to force it out of you."

Jane shrugged, "It doesn't matter. You're moving to Washington to play with the big, political cowboys and kiss some more brass while I'm here actually catching criminals."

Joe frowned, "C'mon, Jane, don't be like that. We can work something out."

"I have an idea. We could forget this whole thing and just never see each other again."

Joe walked over to Jane and grabbed her arms, "Too late for that," He said. She looked at him and pressed her lips up against his. Joe sucked gently on her bottom lip and Jane fought the urges inside of her. She helped him take off his coat and it lay discarded on the floor as he backed them both into her room. She fumbled for a light switch and then decided against it; opting to use her free hands to rake her nails along his back was a much better idea.

Meanwhile Joe had managed to start undoing the buttons on her shirt and moved his lips down to kiss the newly exposed skin. They were both still wet from the rain but neither was shivering anymore. Jane pulled Joe's shirt up over his head and he quickly discarded it before moving his lips back down to her neck. He kissed along her collarbone and then alternated between biting and sucking her neck. When the finally hit the bed Jane fell onto it with Joe on top of her and he started taking off her shirt the rest of the way. Jane grabbed his earlobe in between her teeth and nibbled on it gently before Joe lifted her up and made quick work of her bra.

"Guess all those years of unclasping your bra in high school really did help," He joked.

"That was you!" Jane squealed and Joe grinned sheepishly before moving his lips down to her exposed breasts. He sucked on one softly while massaging the other with his hand and Jane let out a barely audible moan. She pushed his head away as she worked to remove his pants and boxers and they fell to a heap on the floor. She found his shaft and worked it in one hand, causing Joe to bite a little too hard on her nipple. She yelped and he let got and looked at her.

"Sorry but that was completely your fault," Joe said.

Jane scoffed, "Men," She muttered right before Joe pressed his lips against hers again. He parted her lips with his tongue and flicked it around her mouth as he undid her pants. The only article of clothing left was a pair of lacy black panties and Joe raised one eyebrow.

"Gee, Rizzoli, I didn't realize that you wore these things."

"God, Joe, it's not a thong! Just because I don't prance around in flowered dresses or where six inch heels doesn't mean I'm not a girl."

Joe grinned, "Trust me I'm well aware of the fact that you're a woman." He slipped a thumb under the silky fabric and slid them down to her knees. Jane kicked them off the rest of the way and grabbed Joey's head, pressing his lips hard against her own. She reached backwards into her nightstand and pulled out a condom.

"What you think I got diseases?"

Jane rolled her eyes and shook her head, "I don't know where you've been. I saw the girls you dated in high school and God knows who you dated after that."

"You jealous, Rizzoli? Because you shouldn't be; they were all just distractions from you."

Rizzoli smiled as Joe slid the condom on. She was a little relieved to hear him reaffirm his feelings and as she arched her hips she realized that even if this was a horrible mistake she wouldn't completely regret it.

Rizzoli yawned as she opened her eyes and felt a strange arm over her. As all of the details from last night came flooding back Jane turned to look at Joe. She wasn't sure how she felt at the moment but she knew that it…this…had to end today. Remembering that she had the day off Jane nudged Joe until he started to stir.

Joe rubbed the back of his neck as he started to awaken. He looked at Jane who was staring at him with a look that Joe wasn't sure that he had seen before. Sure he had gotten a lot of reproachful glares from Jane Rizzoli but this was something entirely different.

"Last night…." Jane started. Joe felt like he knew where that was going so he interrupted her.

"Was fantastic."

Jane smiled, "Yeah, but you're still leaving. And I'm in Boston while you're going to be in D.C. so…."

"As a liaison to Boston."

"That's stationed in Washington. You can't honestly say that you're going to be back every time there's a homicide."

"Jane…."

"Look, Grant, last night was great. It was better than great, even, but it was a mistake. Neither of us is ready for this, you know that."

"Jane we could at least try."  
>Jane sighed, "Why are you so set on seeing where this goes?"<p>

"Jane I let you slip out of my grasp too many times to let go now. I waited twenty years for this and I can't just let you leave my life now that I finally got you."

Jane sat up and covered herself with her blanket. " You don't have me, Joe. I'm not some possession that you can lay claim to."

"Aww, Jane, I didn't mean it like that. I just mean that I think we deserve the chance to give this a shot. You say we're not ready but I think that if two people who have been at each other's throats for most of their lives can have sex that great then, really, anything's possible."

"And do long distance? Joe I can barely get a relationship to function when the person's in the same city as me let alone if they're in a different state."

Joe looked at Jane with pleading eyes, "Please," He said. "Just give it a shot. Just one, tiny shot. And then maybe we can reassess in a couple of weeks and go from there."

Jane got up from the bed and grabbed a t-shirt from the floor. "I'm sorry, Joe, but I just don't think that I can."

Joe got up as well and pulled on his boxers before kissing her forehead. "You'll change your mind, Janie. You'll see."

And with that Joe finished getting dressed and left Jane's apartment, his scent still lingering in her bedroom.

** A short but eventful chapter which is just how I enjoy writing. If you have any ideas for stuff I should add into the story as it progresses just let me know and I'll try to get the next chapter up soon so as not to leave anyone hanging for too long.


	2. Chapter 2

** Thanks for reading. I will probably episode tag starting with the next chapter but I make no guarantees so sorry if it takes a little longer for me to integrate.

** Disclaimer: I do not own Rizzoli & Isles nor do I own any of the characters. Though I do blame anything Joey Grant does from here on out entirely on my own imagination.

Jane tried to forget the whole thing. So she had had sex with Joey Grant, big deal. It wasn't even good sex, she tried to tell herself. OK so maybe it had been great sex; hell it was better than great it was fantastic sex but she wasn't about to let that detract from the truth of the matter. The truth was that Joey was now hundreds of miles away and it might as well be thousands in Jane's mind. She wasn't seeing him again; at least, not anytime soon.

So Jane went into work and tried to focus on writing up the report for the murder she had just solved. As she tried to explain that the father's new wife had killed the child out of jealousy, Jane felt her stomach turn. It was sickening to think of someone killing a kid because his dad wouldn't have kids with her. A senseless crime was bad enough but when the innocent vic was killed for merely existing? The thought made Jane never want to have kids. But it wasn't like she had a person to have kids with anyways; especially not Joey Grant. No matter how much she was thinking about last night it would never happen again she wouldn't let it.

Frost set a cup of coffee on Jane's desk which broke her from her thoughts.

"So I heard Cavanaugh's pretty OK,"

"What?" Jane said as she tried to force herself to pay attention. She was, once again, thinking about how she was going to stop thinking about Joey Grant being in her bed last night.

"Oh, nothing I was just saying that the new lieutenant seems alright. Probably not as great as our old one, though."

Frost loved teasing his new partner and trying to get a rise out of her especially when merely the mention of Lieutenant Grant did just that.

"I'm sure Cavanaugh's fine," Jane said. She was still replaying last night in her head and wondering why the hell she hadn't just bolted to her apartment, locked the door, and refused to answer any knocks. If she had she wouldn't be in this predicament and she could just tell Frost the truth: that Joey was gone and she was over it.

Frost was a little disappointed that he hadn't gotten more out of Jane but decided it must be something else that was bothering her.

"Is it the case, Jane?" He asked.

"It was just so horrible, Frost. That a woman could kill her husband's son…. I don't know why anyone would ever do something like that. I'm never having kids."

"Awe Jane, c'mon. We see these things on the job every day so of course it's gonna make you think that they're common but really it's more likely that you'll die in a car accident than be murdered by your crazy step-mom."

Jane rolled her eyes but still smirked, anyway, "Where'd you get that bit of knowledge, your fancy college that you went to?" Jane wasn't bitter about not going to college but she couldn't help but think that maybe she'd missed out by not getting the "full experience".

Frost ignored Jane's comment and walked back over to his desk, dissatisfied that he hadn't managed to get a rise out of Rizzoli. He enjoyed working with one of the only women on the force and the only woman in homicide but sometimes he wondered where her head was at. And why she had switched partners after working with Korsak so long.

Jane went back to writing her report and drinking her coffee but she couldn't erase the nagging doubts she had about throwing Joey out of her apartment that morning. The night had obviously been a mistake but something in his words seemed almost threatening. You'll change your mind? What the hell did he mean by that? Then again Joey Grant had always been the one to rise to a challenge; he was always finding new ways to beat himself in tormenting her all the way through school.

Jane decided to take a break from writing her report and see if Maura wanted to get lunch. The thought of having to field Maura's questions was not a pleasant one but Jane figured she could bounce the subject back to a safer topic, if necessary. So she headed down to the autopsy room where she was sure to find her friend doing something disgusting.

Maura was looking at a gorgeous pair of Miu Mius online when Jane interrupted with lunch plans. She looked at the shoes one more time, sighed, and closed her browser. At $500 they weren't the most expensive pair Maura had bought but she wasn't sure what she had that would go with leopard print. Besides, she was more of a leather pump sort of girl than a leopard, suede sling-back. They would probably get ruined at crime scenes, anyways so Maura decided against them.

As Jane and Maura walked to get lunch Maura was surprised by how quiet her friend was. Jane Rizzoli wasn't exactly the loud and boisterous type but she certainly wasn't reserved either.

"Did you see Lieutenant Grant before he left yesterday? He was looking for you down in the morgue and so I told him to check your apartment."

"What? Oh, yeah, I saw him, alright."

Maura didn't stop the grin from spreading on her face, "Well? What happened? Did you two finally admit your feelings or did you fight about some ridiculous childhood trauma he caused?"

"Those were not ridiculous! He cheated off my test _and _put a duck in my locker, as well as a whole bunch of other stuff."

"Well, he did apologize and say he wasn't looking at your test."

Jane felt a blush slowly creeping up into her cheeks, "I still think he was! But no, we didn't fight."

"So he did admit his feelings for you? I mean besides at the date you two had?"

"If by date you mean set-up created by my mother than yes, I guess you could call it a date. And he maybe might have said something but it doesn't matter because he's in D.C. and I'm staying in Boston and there's no way in hell I leave to chase after some boy."

"So you do like him! And why is he leaving for D.C?"

"He got some job working as a liaison between Boston and Homeland Security. And I did not say that I liked him!"

"I'm sorry, Jane. So, do you like him? Because I'm sure you could work something out…. "

"I did like him but now he's gone."

Maura realized that she was not going to be able to convince her friend to try and work things out with the handsome lieutenant so she instead decided to try and get details from the night.

"So? What happened?"

"I don't understand how you can be so girly and still manage to dissect bodies and talk like a scientist," Jane said. All efforts to change the subject had failed thus far but that didn't mean that she would stop trying.

"It's a gift. And you didn't say what happened between you and Joe Grant."

"Fine, we maybe had a sort of moment on the porch of my building but it wasn't a big deal. He did apologize for calling me Rolie Polie Rizzoli."

"Awe well that was sweet of him. Did you invite him in, it was raining yesterday."

"Yeah, Maura, I know that I was the one who was sitting outside talking to the jerk."

"Why is he a jerk? I thought he apologized."

"For the name-calling, not anything else."

"You miss him, don't you? It makes sense; you guys have known each other for a very long time. You even worked in narcotics together, didn't you? It's understandable to be upset that he's gone."

Jane sighed and tried to stop thinking about her disappointment. Truthfully she had always expected him to just be around: annoying her, bothering her, teasing her, even just being in the same precinct. She had taken for granted that his brass-kissing would actually lead to him leaving the state.

Maura attempted to comfort her friend. "It's OK, Jane. In all likelihood you guys probably would have fought all the time. Besides, he'll be back."

"What?"

"Didn't you say that he is a liaison now? Generally liaisons have to actually visit the city they are a liaison too which means that he'll probably be back. He'll probably be back quite a bit, actually, given the fact that Boston is a large city with quite a few matters that could end up relating to Homeland Security."

Jane hadn't really given that much thought. She just figured gone was gone and it was best to leave it at that but Maura was right. Joey Grant would, in all likelihood, be back. He would probably be back soon, too.

Joey Grant had just stepped off the plane and started to get settled in his new place when he started to think about last night. He couldn't help but feel a little satisfied that he had finally managed to cop to his feelings for Rizzoli; even if it was the night before he left for Washington he was still glad that he did it. Still the feeling of her throwing him out of her place wasn't a fond memory; at least, not yet. So Joey sat on the couch of his new apartment and reflected on just how, exactly, he was planning on getting back into the detective's good graces.

Calling her just wouldn't do; Rizzoli wasn't the type of girl who would sit by the phone and wait and she certainly wasn't the kind of girl who could be persuaded of anything unless it was in person. Joey had learned a few too many types that it took a certain amount of charm and flirting to get to Jane and those were things best left to meeting face to face. For now he would just have to hold off on the phone call. Maybe he would wait until things got settled here before he called and annoyed her. That way, just when she thought he was gone for good he would spring up and surprise her.

Spending time plotting ways to mess with Jane Rizzoli had always been a favorite pastime of Joey's. From pranks to chasing off boyfriends Joey had managed to make Jane's life his own personal scheme. He did feel a little guilty that some of his torment had been taken so personally (honestly the duck was meant to be funny, not hurt her grades) but he had had the right intentions. He just hadn't been able to express them properly. Joey had always had plenty of girls chasing him but Jane was the only who had managed to hold his interest for long. Somehow his thoughts had always come back to her.

Joey managed to relax for a few hours before he was due in. His early morning flight had made him a little groggy but otherwise he was feeling pretty good. He got dressed in his best suit and smirked; Joey just knew what Jane would say if she could see him. Suits weren't one of his favorite things and the "big boy shoes", as he liked to call them, were definitely not comfortable but he knew that it was all part of moving on up. He had enjoyed being a detective in the narcotics division of the Boston PD but had always been itching to be more and do more. Lieutenant had been just fine but the surprise job offer had definitely been a gratifying one. Sure it had meant leaving behind the city he loved and had lived in his whole life but it also meant getting to deal with big time cases and large scale issues. Joey Grant was more than just the guy who caught drug dealers; now, he was the one who helped keep the city of Boston safe from anything that might harm her. It felt good to be able to protect his city like that even if it meant being relocated to Washington for a majority of the time. Still Joey couldn't help but be a little disappointed; he may have been a brass-kisser to Jane but he had never wanted to be a politician.

Joey got into his new place of business and was quickly ushered into his boss' office.

"Joe Grant, I must say that you caught quite a bit of attention from the folks here in Washington. The way you handled that strangling case was really something. I'm sorry I didn't even introduce myself I'm Gregory Sampson and I run this branch of Homeland Security."

Joey shook Sampson's hand firmly. Gregory Sampson stood at 6' 6" and towered over most of his colleagues who were only about 6 feet tall. He was rippling with muscles built in his eight years in the military and was definitely a menacing figure. But he contrasted his large appearance with a kind smile and always made a point of introducing himself to new agents. Joey appreciated this fact and appreciated that his boss didn't appear to be too much of a tyrant. After getting used to being his own boss, Joey was grateful that his new boss didn't look like he was going to be too difficult to deal with.

"So here's your badge and you'll have to go get a picture taken sometime today. I'll have my secretary, Harriet take you back to your office."

Joey took the badge and clipped it to his belt and then followed Harriet to his office. Harriet was a no-nonsense woman and Joey couldn't immediately tell that he wasn't going to be her best pal. She took one look at his new suit, shined black shoes and scoffed though Joey wasn't quite sure why.

"Here's your office. Now the walls were just repainted to try not to put anything on them, OK?"

Joey raised one eyebrow but said nothing. Why he would put something on the walls in the first place was beyond him; Joey Grant had always been more of a minimalist when it came to office decorating.

Harriet left Joey to settle into his office and go get his picture taken but beyond that the day was his to do with what he wanted. If only he could find a bar nearby and maybe convince some of his coworkers to join him….

** I hope you guys like this chapter, I'm trying to keep them fairly short so I stopped this one at kind of a weird place I hope you don't mind. Please keep reading and review; any feedback would be helpful.


	3. Chapter 3

** Episode tagging starting now (which is why it took so long; I was waiting for Rizzoli & Isles Season 1 that I ordered from Amazon ). I hope you guys have enjoyed it so far because I love writing it. This goes along with "She Works Hard for the Money" and I'm hoping that it turns out ok.

** I didn't get the rights to Rizzoli & Isles for Christmas even though I asked for them and the rights to owning Donnie Wahlberg, even if owning people is wrong. So yeah, none of the characters are mine except maybe the ones in Joey's world.

As Jane was driving to the scene of the latest homicide her thoughts wandered to D.C. and what Joey was doing at that moment. He had probably already met someone new and was busy doing whatever it was that a Homeland Security Liaison would do. So why was she still thinking about him and secretly wishing that he would call? As they pulled up to the scene with Jane's mother in tow Jane snapped back to attention on the latest case.

The homicide of a young college student, in broad daylight and on a large campus was not often a common occurrence in Boston. And this case was proving particularly confusing. The girl had lost her athletic scholarship but was still managing to pay for college; the only question now was how. Besides that they didn't have any evidence of who might have shot Danielle or why. Just as Jane was heading to go talk to the best friend again her phone rang.

"Rizzoli."

"Wow, Janie, you sound a little tense there. Am I interrupting a case?"

Jane felt her whole body tense up at the sound of Joey's voice but she tried to remain calm.

"Actually, yeah, and you're interrupting."

"You got two seconds to talk?"

"No, Joey, I don't think I do. What, you decided to wait two weeks and then call right when I'm in the middle of an investigation?"

On the other side of the line, Joey cringed. He hadn't expected a warm reception but he had also hoped that she would be a little happy to hear from him. Then again he hadn't spoken to her for two weeks.

"I'm sorry, Jane, really, I got caught up in this new job and haven't had a lot of down time. But you were the one who said you didn't want this to go anywhere."

"There is no this!"

"Two minutes, please? Can we just talk for two minutes and I swear I'll let you get back to your case."

"Fine. What did you call for?"

"Because I missed you. What's the case that's got you all worked up?"

"Shooting of a twenty-year old college student. Somebody just shot her in broad daylight."

"You got any leads?"

"Why, are you offering to help? Because I'm sure that you'll prove very useful from Washington."

Joey sighed, "Jane, I said I was sorry, I really did want to call, honest. I just didn't want to call with not a lot of time to talk. I guess I should have realized that just calling would have been nice."

"Yeah, it would have been. But it's not like we're together or anything and I was the one who told you we wouldn't be."

Jane knew she was fighting a losing battle by trying to stay mad at Joey. He sounded pretty exhausted and the fact that he had taken two weeks to call wasn't entirely his fault; after all, she was the one who had put a stop to anything happening after their one night stand.

"Do you at least miss me a little bit?" Joey asked.

"Maybe a tiny, little bit. With you gone I only have Frankie as a pain in my ass and he's just not as good at it as you were."

Joe smiled, satisfied with at least that. If he was going to convince Jane to try a relationship he was going to have to take baby steps and prove that not only was he ready but she was too. It might take a little poking and prodding but he knew that he could get her there.

"Look I just got to the best friend's dorm and am going to interview her so I have to go."

"OK. Are you going to answer the phone if I call you later?"

Jane shrugged and, realizing that he couldn't hear that, replied, "I don't know, you'll have to call and find out."

"OK, bye, Janie."

"Stop calling me that. Bye, Joey."

Jane smiled as she ended the call and stepped out of the car. So maybe he wasn't in the same state but he could still manage to make her smile and that was quite a feat.

This case was eating at Jane more than she would like to admit. It wasn't just that a young woman had been murdered; being around a college campus made Jane think about her regrets. She had rarely looked back on not going to college but this case was making her wonder just how much she had missed out. Sure, Jane wouldn't be caught dead in aluminum foil at an "ABC" party or whatever but all of the stuff she could have learned…it made Jane wonder if going to college would have been such a bad idea.

As the case dragged on and Jane was learning more about Danielle's double life she found herself thinking about Joey Grant and smiling. Sure, she had said that she didn't want to be with him but Jane was finding that promise more and more difficult to keep, especially after the phone call that afternoon.

As if he was reading her thoughts, Jane's phone rang.

"Rizzoli."

"How's that case going, Janie?"

Jane smiled, "Don't call me Janie, Joey. And it's getting sticky. It turns out that she was moonlighting as a hooker to pay her tuition. Her laptop was stolen so I'm waiting to check on that tomorrow morning."

"Sounds like you've been busy."

"Yeah, I guess. So what about you, working for Homeland Security? You haven't pissed anyone off yet, have you, because it would be a shame if you had to slink back to Boston with your tail between your legs."

Joey laughed on the other end of the phone, "No, you're the only coworker I've ever butted heads with, Janie. It's mostly been a lot of paper pushing, not nearly as exciting as you might think."

"Yeah, because working as a politician sounds so exciting."

Joey chucked, "Yeah. So can I take you answering the phone as a good sign? Maybe you're warming up to the idea of me?"

Jane scoffed, "Yeah, or maybe I'm just bored and can't sleep."

Jane's thoughts drifted to higher education and she decided to ask Joey his thoughts on the matter.

"Do you ever think that somehow we missed out on the college experience?"

"What?"

"It's just…this case got me thinking about college and, I don't know, maybe going would have made me a better detective. It's stupid but I got to wondering about it."

"Jane, you're a great cop and you don't need some diploma to prove that. No, I don't think we missed out on anything besides college parties and that sort of stuff."

Jane laughed, "You wish. Yeah, I guess you're right, though. Just with Frost and Maura both having went to college it made me wonder about what might have been."

"How about what can be? Am I going to get to see you the next time I'm in town?"

Jane pulled the phone away from her ear and yawned, not wanting Joey to hear how tired she was.

"I don't know, depends on when you're going to be in town. I think maybe I could squeeze you in somewhere between all my casework."

Joey smiled into the receiver, "Alright well I will definitely make plans to come back, and soon. I thought when I signed up to be a liaison that it would actually require me to come back every once in a while. And then I could just charm my way back into your good graces, Detective."

"Oh really, is that what you thought? Well I don't know that famous Grant charm hasn't worked in the past now has it?"

"If I do recall it has worked a couple of times. Remember the time I conned you into helping me with my math homework?"

Jane laughed, "Yeah, I do. And you didn't con me my mother forced me to help you. She said that you were a nice boy and that I should try and be civil. It's not like you ever were, though."

"Yeah, I was! I was the one who defended you to the nuns when you shoved Billy O'Reilly in the mud. I got detention with you, if you remember."

"You never would tell me why you got detention…"

"I went back and punched Billy in the nose. He shouldn't have talked to you like that."

Jane remembered it well. Back in freshman year of high school when Billy had asked her out and Jane had declined, Billy had decided to lash out and tell everyone in school nasty rumors about her. Of course, Jane wouldn't take that lying down so, in a fit of anger, she shoved Billy and he happened to fall down into mud. He had ran to the nuns and told them all about how Jane had "attacked" him and, somehow, Jane and Joey both wound up in detention.

"You hit him?"

"Yeah. O'Reilly was a tool and when I heard him bragging about how he had gotten back at you and gotten you in detention I couldn't take it. You know he told all of his friends that you were a tease and a bunch of other stuff."

Jane smiled even though Joey couldn't see it. Even though he had admitted to liking her for a while Jane still was having trouble reconciling this Joey with the one who had tried to pants her at recess in fifth grade. Knowing that he secretly defended her made her smile, even if she hadn't needed his help.

Jane couldn't keep the second yawn from escaping her lips before she moved the phone away.

"You sound tired," Joey said.

"I'm fine, it's just this case. I wish I didn't have to wait for the damn computer store to open."

"You should get some sleep, Rizzoli. I'll talk to you again soon, I'm sure of it."

"Don't get too cocky, Grant. I may have answered this time but that doesn't mean I agreed to any sort of relationship."

"Ahh but you will, Janie, you will."

And on that note Joey hung up the phone and leaned back against his bed. He smirked as he realized that he was slowly wearing Jane down and, by the time he was able to get back to Boston, he knew that he would have her convinced. As his eyes flitted shut Joey thought about what sort of grand gesture he could pull off to further woo Jane.

Jane woke up the next morning and got back to work on the case this time, with a little more spring in her step. She was reconsidering trying a relationship with Joey; after all, talking on the phone with him had been a nice way to end the evening. Sure he was in D.C. for the most part but maybe they could work something out. She was finding it more and more difficult to not think about him and that kind of interference wasn't good for her investigative skills.

Putting the remaining pieces of the case together was easier than Jane had expected. It turned out that the girl's "pimp" was her R.A. and he had killed her because she wanted out. Jane shook her head as she thought about it; girls pimping themselves out to pay for college was hardly the ideal. But at least they had saved one girl from the same fate as her best friend; additionally the guy responsible was dead. Jane was enjoying some take out with Maura when her phone went off, it was Joey, again.

"Aren't you going to answer that? It could be another homicide."

"It's not."

"Well who is it, then? I know it's not someone in your family because you would always answer those."

Maura gasped and smiled, "Is it a guy? Did you meet someone?"

Jane rolled her eyes, "No," She lied.

Maura tilted her head, "It is, isn't it? Why won't you tell me?"

"Because, Maura, you'll get all weird and start questioning me on the whole mess when I don't even know what it is."

"Isn't that what girlfriends are supposed to do? I mean, you're the only person I've ever really been friends with and I know that I don't have the best social skills but you can talk to me, Jane."

"And if there was anything to tell, I would. For now let's just leave it at that and, maybe, in a few weeks if there's something to tell, I'll tell you."

Joey sighed as Jane's phone went to voicemail which mean that she was either still working on the case or had picked up a new one. He hung up without leaving a message and figured that she would call him back when she got the chance. Joey decided to call his new friend from work, Zach, and see if he was busy.

"Hey, Zach, are you free? I was thinking about heading to a bar and watching the game."

"Sure, I guess I can do that. Parsons and Matthews are already at the sports bar on 9th street, want to just meet them there?"

"Alright."

With that settled Joey put on his jacket and headed to the bar. It was only a couple of blocks away and, even though it was a little chilly outside, Joey wanted to walk and clear his head. He only hoped that hanging with some guys would help take his mind off of the gorgeous woman who was a few hundred miles away.

** I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and sorry it took so long. Please R&R, your reading keeps me writing! Also if you have any one shot requests for any show just shoot me a message and I can see what I can do, I would love to write a few one-shot requests. 3


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